Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827)
'Introduction:' Ludwig Van Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany to a troubled childhood. His father and grandfather were both musicians and music was quickly pressed upon Beethoven. As a child, Beethoven expressed a passion for music. By his adolescent years, he had developed his talents and was already publishing compositions. He quickly became accomplished, even serving as a court organist. He became a father figure to his family when his father could no longer support the family due to alcoholism. In his mid 20s, Beethoven moved to Vienna to pursue music in a different locaiton. In Vienna, he was able to study music with other reknown composers such as Haydn. Throughout most of his life, Beethoven supported himself through lessons, performances, and selling compositions. He began to lose his hearing at a young age but continued to compose through the horror. His compositions while losing hearing and after he was completely deaf became more complex and intricate. Beethoven composed very successful works towards the end of his life and died at age 56 of suspected cirrhosis of the liver. Works Beethoven composed many works. Below there are types with how many in total and examples of each. Orchestral Music Symphonies (9 in total) * Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major "Eroica" * Symphony No. 6 in F major "Pastoral" Concertos (9 in total) * Violin Concerto in D major * Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major Other works such as overtures and soloist and orchestra Chamber Music Piano trios, string trios, quartets Sonatas: violin, cello, horn Solo Piano Music * Opus 10: Three Piano Sonatas * Opus 27: 'Sonata quasi una fantasia', Two Piano Sonatas Vocal Music Opera, choral, Comparisons His works ranged over a wide variety of types such as chamber music, symphony, and fugue. His music can be divided into three periods. The first period would be his early life. During this period he was composing mostly chamber music with a select few of other works. This is the period in his life where he is just beginning to learn and become established as a great composer. The seocnd period is his mid life where he is first beginning to struggle with hearing loss. He composed very often during this period and composed mostly symphonies which began to lead him into Romantic Era music. During this period, he composed his 3rd symphony which was crucial to revealing his new found individualism. The third and last period of his composition is characterized by his most complex and personal compositions. These works were composed when Beethoven was fully deaf which was a difficult time in his life. Throughout the three periods of musical development in his life, one can see the transformation made from classical works that fit the mainstream musical ideals to personal works that showed Beethoven's true and inner self. Observations Beethoven's music has a very dramatic and abrupt quality. A listener will never have to wonder which emotion Beethoven is trying to convey with his compositions. One can observe the musical development when comparing Beethoven's two pieces, first Creatures of Prometheus '''composed in 1801 and his 9th Symphony '''composed in 1824. Both of these pieces have a dramatic quality and resemble eachother in several ways. However, the 9th Symphony has much more complexity along with advanced manipulation of dynamics. I feel that the contrasting qualities of these two pieces show the development that Beethoven made not only as a composer but also as an individual. Works Cited: http://www.lvbeethoven.com/Bio/BiographyLudwig.html https://www.biography.com/people/ludwig-van-beethoven-9204862 https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ludwig-van-Beethoven/Reputation-and-influence#toc21592 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_compositions_by_Ludwig_van_Beethoven